Fully-Functioning LEGO Keyboard Reclaims Discarded PC

Lego engineer Jason Allemann of JK Brickworks found a computer at the side of the road and decided to repurpose it into a fully-functioning keyboard using mostly Lego components. The electronic elements of the discarded keyboard still worked, so Allemann replaced the keys with Lego bricks that preserve all of the practicality and ease of use of the original.

Marked with numbers, arrows and sometimes clever symbols (the caps lock key is topped with an actual cap, and a sewer manhole cover represents ‘delete’), the new Lego keys are easy to recognize for their intended purpose. The trickiest part was building a frame that aligned the new keys perfectly over the original membrane.

This was accomplished with a grid of Lego Technic connectors and axles, moving parts that can be integrated with standard Lego to build complex engineering models. JK Brickworks previously made a Da Vinci flying machine from Lego parts, as well.